Re: MSU Spartan Hockey - Episode VII - A New Hope

So far I'm impressed. I've seen but one game (WMU), but I'm reading and seeing comments on, a much higher level of skill then in previous years. That comes to good coaching and better schemes. Finishing at, or above 0.500 is certainly attainable.

I was kind of disappointed with the lack of shots on goal. Just two weeks ago Danton said we would have to score by volume. I'll take 17 shots and a win every day, don't get me wrong. I just think as a team they still look to pass too much sometimes or forget that our d-men can actually touch the puck in the offensive zone.

I noticed this a bit this weekend. Quite a few times we went for the extra pass and it bit us, ended up as a turnover or ended up not getting as good of a look as we had in the first place.

That said, I think passing may be where we've most improved. The past couple years we seemed to struggle just keeping it the zone because a pass back to the D men would hop over a stick or would just be completely off the mark.

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey - Episode VII - A New Hope

Originally Posted by Decatur Spartan

So far I'm impressed. I've seen but one game (WMU), but I'm reading and seeing comments on, a much higher level of skill then in previous years. That comes to good coaching and better schemes. Finishing at, or above 0.500 is certainly attainable.

If they bottle the second periods they had against Wisconsin (either night), I'm not ruling it out. But it would be a monumental task - it seems like it's all coming together for the other 6 teams - except perhaps so far for Penn State - and when you include the addition of Notre Dame, this season is a brutal learning curve in B1G for any team as young as the Spartans.

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey - Episode VII - A New Hope

KHL line comes through again tonight with all three goals.

Obviously happy to win it in OT, but disappointing it got there in the first place. We absolutely dominated the first 35 minutes, gave up a weak goal to end the second, and never really took control again until OT.

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey - Episode VII - A New Hope

A second sweep? I was pretty sure we were only allowed 1 of those per season, at most.

Lewandowski just has the magic right now. I cannot remember the last MSU player with such a hot stick. It has to have been a decade. Last year I recall seeing PSU's Smirnov put up huge numbers as a freshman and it frustrated me that MSU, year after year, could barely get anybody over the 10 goal mark. If Cole can recruit a couple more goal scorers to stick on the 2nd or 3rd lines then we may finall see a prolific offense in East Lansing again.

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey - Episode VII - A New Hope

Originally Posted by Pirateasaur

A second sweep? I was pretty sure we were only allowed 1 of those per season, at most.

Lewandowski just has the magic right now. I cannot remember the last MSU player with such a hot stick. It has to have been a decade. Last year I recall seeing PSU's Smirnov put up huge numbers as a freshman and it frustrated me that MSU, year after year, could barely get anybody over the 10 goal mark. If Cole can recruit a couple more goal scorers to stick on the 2nd or 3rd lines then we may finall see a prolific offense in East Lansing again.

Neil Koepke's take was fairly dead-on: State played a physical "in your face" kind of game, I saw some good active sticks, a lot of challenges at the blue line and fine back checking to cover up the rare mistakes. They withstood a 5-on-3 to take the crowd out of it a little, and recovered nicely from Ferris' third period goal. That Sanford goal looked like it came from a top-line goal-scorer. Nearly impossible angle.

I'd like to say they "played" hard rather than worked hard. That was a full 60.

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey - Episode VII - A New Hope

That is interesting news. They're only graduating one. Kinda wondering if he's given to believe there's a forward leaving early.

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I think State can take one of these games this Holiday weekend, given the on-paper reasons: (1) PSU fattened themselves on some pre-Thanksgiving turkey (ASU), (2) potentially sparse student section, (3) MSU's on a bit of a roll and playing with confidence.